The Best Way to Boost Serotonin

The secret to naturally boosting serotonin levels in the brain may include eating foods such as pumpkin seeds, with a high tryptophan-to-total protein ratio. This may help explain why studies show that those eating plant-based diets have superior mood states.

We can choose carbohydrate-rich plant foods over animal foods to boost tryptophan levels, but ideally, it would be more than just carbs. Since the main determinant of brain serotonin concentrations appears to be the ratio of tryptophan with others that compete with it for uptake into the brain, to maximize the mood-elevating effects of diet, one would ideally choose a snack with a high tryptophan-to-total protein ratio—which would mean primarily seeds, such as sesame, sunflower, pumpkin.

“Protein-source tryptophan as an efficacious treatment for social anxiety disorder: a pilot study.” So, what protein source did they use? Butternut squash seeds, because of their high tryptophan-to-protein ratio, as part of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study of people suffering from social phobia, also known as social anxiety disorder. And, they found significant improvement in multiple objective measures of anxiety in those eating the squash seed bars.

Before studies like this one, “a change in the composition of intact dietary protein was not seen as a possible option for the treatment of common psychological disorders associated with low serotonin levels.” But, that’s because they were using animal proteins (which can makes things worse), not plants.

If this is true, then those eating vegetarian should be golden. And, indeed, this was the reasoning used to explain why “Global mood…was significantly better in the ‘vegetarian’ than in the ‘mixed’ diet group.” It’s all about carbohydrates, and a huge tryptophan-to-protein ratio. “The vegetarian group was instructed to avoid meat, fish, and poultry and to restrict intake of milk, milk products and eggs to a minimum…” And, within three weeks, the vegetarian diet groups had a significantly improved global mood.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Kerry Skinner.

We can choose carbohydrate-rich plant foods over animal foods to boost tryptophan levels, but ideally, it would be more than just carbs. Since the main determinant of brain serotonin concentrations appears to be the ratio of tryptophan with others that compete with it for uptake into the brain, to maximize the mood-elevating effects of diet, one would ideally choose a snack with a high tryptophan-to-total protein ratio—which would mean primarily seeds, such as sesame, sunflower, pumpkin.

“Protein-source tryptophan as an efficacious treatment for social anxiety disorder: a pilot study.” So, what protein source did they use? Butternut squash seeds, because of their high tryptophan-to-protein ratio, as part of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study of people suffering from social phobia, also known as social anxiety disorder. And, they found significant improvement in multiple objective measures of anxiety in those eating the squash seed bars.

Before studies like this one, “a change in the composition of intact dietary protein was not seen as a possible option for the treatment of common psychological disorders associated with low serotonin levels.” But, that’s because they were using animal proteins (which can makes things worse), not plants.

If this is true, then those eating vegetarian should be golden. And, indeed, this was the reasoning used to explain why “Global mood…was significantly better in the ‘vegetarian’ than in the ‘mixed’ diet group.” It’s all about carbohydrates, and a huge tryptophan-to-protein ratio. “The vegetarian group was instructed to avoid meat, fish, and poultry and to restrict intake of milk, milk products and eggs to a minimum…” And, within three weeks, the vegetarian diet groups had a significantly improved global mood.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Kerry Skinner.

The Best Way to Boost Serotonin

Doctor's Note

This is the final video of a four-part series (mentioned in Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death) on natural ways to boost serotonin in the brain. In Human Neurotransmitters in Plants, we saw that plants themselves can contain serotonin. The Wrong Way to Boost Serotonin was a cautionary tale about tryptophan supplements. And, A Better Way to Boost Serotonin covered the role carbs can play in boosting tryptophan transport into the brain. The findings of better mood scores in those eating vegetarian is consistent with both cross-sectional studies (see Plant-Based Diet & Mood) and interventional studies (see Improving Mood Through Diet), which I’ve covered previously. The reason I report more data on nuts than seeds is a function of the greater access of researchers to funding on nuts (thanks to producer groups). From what little data we have, though, I have a feeling it’s like the soy versus other beans story (see Soy Worth a Hill of Beans). If I had to guess, I’d bet that, in general, seeds may be even healthier than nuts. And, since I encourage daily nut consumption, I’d add seeds to that recommendation as well. If only researchers had more seed money! :)

73 responses to “The Best Way to Boost Serotonin”

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This is the final video of a four-part series (mentioned in Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death) on natural ways to boost serotonin in the brain. Wednesday’s video-of-the-day Human Neurotransmitters in Plants noted that plants themselves can contain serotonin. Thursday’s The Wrong Way to Boost Serotonin was a cautionary tale about tryptophan supplements and Friday’s A Better Way to Boost Serotonin covered the role carbs can play in boosting tryptophan transport into the brain. The findings of better mood scores in those eating vegetarian is consistent with both cross-sectional and interventional findings I’ve reported previously. The reason I report more data on nuts than seeds is a function of the greater access of researchers to funding on nuts (thanks to producer groups). From what little data we have, though, I have a feeling it’s like the soy versus other beans story. If I had to guess, I’d bet in general seeds may be even healthier than nuts, and since I encourage daily nut consumption, I’d add seeds to that recommendation as well. If only researchers had more seed money! :)

This is just on of the reasons why I wonder — struggle with — why the No-fat doctors continue to insist that fat is bad. It really boggles my mind. In my opinion, at best, they are derelict in recommending no fat. I also find it morally incomprehensible, especially since I suffered from following that recommendation for years. I just hope I don’t pay any more than I already have in the future!
Thanks for posting about the benefits of good fats in our diets.

I’m just curious. What side effects did you have from the low fat diet? I personally like Dr. Mcdougall but I haven’t eliminated the fat as he recommends. I still use small amounts of oil in some of my cooking, enjoy dark chocolate and use nuts and seeds in cooking.

Yeah but you still haven’t answered mt question. I’m assuming you tried going without added oils and nuts. My reason is taste, really, not side effects. So I’m curious what people experience without the fat.

I was on the McDougall diet strictly for about 8 years. What I experienced after that time of NO nuts or seeds and NO oils was a problem with my joints, especially my knees and shoulders. However, I was also NOT eating many raw foods other than fruit. I believe if I had been eating daily green salads, I may not have experienced the problems I did. My shoulder pain was diagnosed as bursitis and my knee pain arthritis. After doing some research, I decided since both conditions could be helped by adding enzymes to my diet, I decided to eat primarily raw foods, including raw fruit and vegetable juices. In a period of about 2 months my shoulder pain was completely gone. The knees took about 6 months. I have continued this way of eating now 14 years and at the age of 62 have no aches or pains at all.

Ok, I’ll bite. Everyone is different and many seem to do very well on the “very low fat” diets. I however had dramatically increased dandruff, super dry skin, chronic itching all over, strange skin rashes that would not heal, much increased joint pain, and steadily worsening sinus allergies. After adding about 1 oz raw seeds/nuts plus 200 mg of DHA daily (total fat intake around 20%) all those symptoms reversed and gradually resolved. Now, after 2 1/2 years on the higher but still low fat diet, I am healthier all around than ever.

Taste adapts and is very “trainable”. I love the food eating McDougall style and I love it eating Fuhrman style.

Forgot to mention I was 100% McDougall’s “strictest” version but I did eat a ton of greens and other veg. Nearly as much as I do w/ Fuhrman’s approach, just no seeds/nuts and grains and potatoes and sweet potatoes instead of beans

The problem isn’t fats… it is Omega-6 fats. These are inflammatory and contribute to many diseases. Omega-6 is in most foods, veggies included. So stop using ADDED omega-6 fats and increase Omega-3 fats which reduce inflammation. There are both animal and vegetarian sources for Omega-3. They are not used for cooking or flavoring.

Strix: If you look at the well-referenced Wikipedia article on the ‘Okinawa
diet’ you will see that ‘their overall traditional diet would be considered a
very-high-carbohydrate by modern standards, with carbohydrates, protein, and fat
providing 85%, 9% and 6% of total calories respectively.’ Now, this 6% is
actually lower than what is generally recommended by what you wrongfully call
the ‘no-fat doctors’. And this same Okinawa diet ( as you yourself
remark elsewhere on this site) is associated with longevity and good health, is
it not? So, how is this to be explained? And similarly with the
Tarahumara Indians. Here I quote an individual that you doubtless consider so
villainous in his infamy that I will not increase your sufferings by
even mentioning his name: ‘The Tarahumara Indians, consume a diet that is around
10% protein, 10% fat and 80% carb, with 90% of their calories coming from corn
and beans (19% from beans, and 71% from corn), and are renowned the world over
for their endurance running and virtually non existent heart disease.
‘

Strix: If you look at the well-referenced Wikipedia article on the ‘Okinawa
diet’ you will see that ‘their overall traditional diet would be considered
a very-high-carbohydrate by modern standards, with carbohydrates, protein,
and fat providing 85%, 9% and 6% of total calories respectively.’ Now, this
6% is actually lower than what is generally recommended by what you
wrongfully call the ‘no-fat doctors’. And this same Okinawa diet ( as you
yourself remark elsewhere on this site) is associated with longevity and
good health, is it not? So, how is this to be explained? And similarly
with the Tarahumara Indians. Here I quote an individual that you doubtless
consider so villainous in his infamy that I will not increase your
sufferings by even mentioning his name: ‘The Tarahumara Indians, consume a
diet that is around 10% protein, 10% fat and 80% carb, with 90% of their
calories coming from corn and beans (19% from beans, and 71% from corn), and
are renowned the world over for their endurance running and virtually non
existent heart disease. ‘ And how about

giving a direct reply to April Lille’s question: ‘What side effects did you
have from the

I have concluded a 7-day experiment of adding a daily 50 grams of (ground)
pumpkin seeds to my food so as to obtain 250 mg of tryptophan. (Mentioned in my comments much lower in this page.) Contrary to my
expectations, it was a total failure. There was no improvement to my normally
good mood; in fact, it seems to have had a somewhat depressing effect. (For
the benefit of anyone who might leap to an easy conclusion, no, it is not the
case that my body is so flooded from competing amino acids from animal foods
that the 250 mg of tryptophan never had a chance. I have eaten a starch-based
whole foods diet without animal source foods for years.) Now, I cannot be the
only person who reads this site who has done a similar tryptophan experiment
with seeds of some sort or another. The rest of you : what were your
results?

U were already in a good mood u said. So, what more do u want or expect. They are not amphetamines. :) I think the idea was that they would elevate the mood of people not feeling so good and you didn’t need that. Good for you. :)

I haven’t tried the pumpkin seeds but I have been taking B vitamins, 5-HTP and L-Theanine for 5 days and I have seen major improvements in my mood and my irritable bowel syndrome which I have suffered from since I was really young. Not cured yet but every morning I wake up feeling better than the day before so something must be working. I think it is mostly the 5-HTP.

I love all your stuff, but considering there is such rigorous test of research ability in your hiring policies, I am disappointed that you would present a study which has a sample size of n=7. As you know, this is completely underpowered so there is a strong statistical possibility of obtaining ‘false positive’s – i.e. it is impossible to tell whether differences between the intervention and control group are due to chance or due to the differences in diet. You have a responsibility as an expert to present research responsibly, as people who are not so lucky to be research-literate will take what you say at face value. I hope you don’t become so driven by your very valid, well supported belief in plant-based diets that you begin selectively criticising only studies which favour animal consumption.

1) About the omega-6 : omega-3 ratio in anything, there is
no need to engage in idle speculation, repeat hearsay etc etc. Either directly
consult USDA
National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference – Release 24 (USDA sr24)
online, or use tools which incorporate its database, such as Cron-o-meter (there
is both a downloadable and a web version) , or http://nutritiondata.self.com or
various other online sites. Enter 100 grams of something and then see what the
inter-ratio of the fats are. This operation does not take any intelligence,
but does require a little will-power.

2) The fact is that with these already mentioned exceptions that come to
mind right away — flax, chia, walnuts — well-known seeds and nuts both generally
all have very bad ratios: much too much omega-6. Walnuts have a ratio that is
just barely good, but consider: are walnuts all that you are going to be eating
in a day? What about the ratio in the other foods? Total context, not foods
considered in isolation.

3) As noted elsewhere on this page,
persons following Gregerian recommendations will be taking algae or yeast
derived longchain omega-3 (DHA), and such persons, presumably — is this so Dr
G? — need not concern themselves with the shortchain omega-3 (ALA) directly
available in plants. (There is another school of thought about how much short
–> longchain conversion takes place and the need/wisdom or not for longchain
supplementation but that is another matter.)

4) Paulc: Elsewhere on this page you
‘translate’ ‘hoi-polloi’ as ‘the people’. Well, literally yes, but it would have
been odd to use it in that sense. And in fact , in English it is usually used in
a connotative sense; so, my saying ‘us hoi-polloi’ would be like saying ‘us
plebs’, ‘us proles’, ‘us laymen’ or something of that sort.

What are you trying to prove here? Most non nut plant foods have adequate omega 3/6 ratios. My conclusion to the fact that seeds are more nutrient dense then nuts comes from the evidence provided by Jeff Novick showing vitamin and mineral content per 100 grams of each nut/seed.

It is possible there is mutual misunderstanding going on.
First, although I was replying to your post, Toxins, what I wrote was to both
you and Paulc. Second, all that I meant, in short, was
that if one is going the ALA route (as I do), then use of flaxseed or chia —
not walnuts — is probably the way to make for a good omega-6/3 balance
. At length, I restate and rephrase what I meant, like so:
In general both seeds and nuts have bad omega 6/3 balances, the
notable exceptions being chia and flax among the seeds, and walnuts among the
nuts. But in the big picture of the entire diet, the just barely acceptable
omega 6/3 balance found in walnuts is not going to be of any use in the context
of , say, what I ate yesterday (food names and values from USDA sr24 via
Cron-o-meter — and ‘raw’ means the item was weighed in that state, not that I
necessarily ate it that way):
item
weight kcal Kiwifruit, green,
raw 75g
45.8Peppers, sweet, red,
raw 50g
15.5Cabbage, red,
raw 50g
15.5Broccoli,
raw
100g 34.0Tomato products, canned, paste, without salt added
75g 61.5Carrots,
raw
400g 164.0Salt,
table
0.12g 0.0Cabbage,
raw
400g 100.0Cereals, oats, regular and quick, not fortified,
dry 100g 379.0Wheat flour,
whole-grain 200g
680.0Rice, brown, medium-grain, cooked
500g 560.0Sweet potato, cooked, boiled, without
skin 500g 380.0 This gives me 7.0 g of
omega-6 against only 0.4 g of omega-3. The problem is the grains .Now what
is the sensible thing to do in order to correct the imbalance, add walnuts, or
add ground flaxseed? If I add this, Seeds,
flaxseed 2tbsp,
ground 74.8 Then I have, in the day’s food, 7.8 g of
omega-6 vs 3.6 g of omega-3. Maybe too much of both (I hope my saying this will
not cause Strix undue alarm) but anyway a good balance. But now
what happens if instead of that 74.8 calories of ground flaxseed I use 74.8
calories of walnuts? Nuts, walnuts,
english
11.44 g 74.8 Let’s look, in isolation at the omega
6/3 composition of the walnuts. It’s 4.4 g of the first and 1.0 g of the second.
Barely ok, falling actually outside the minimally desired ratio of 4:1 for
omega-6 to omega-3. And so what corrective affect, if any, would this have in
the context of all that other food? Let’s see. Substituting the walnuts for the
flaxseed we now have, in the total day’s food, 11.3 g of omega-6 vs. 1.5 g of
omega-3. Useless. No wonder that Jeff Novick recommends an
optional 1~2 TB of ground flaxseed (which is precisely why I do it), and not
walnuts.

PS: Toxins, if you also post on the McDougall site, what
is the name you use there? I’d like to see what you have written. And you as
well, philologist Paulc.

Hi Toxins; thanks for writing; I normally learn a great deal from your erudite comments. I decided to compile a short list of seeds and their omega 6/3 ratios when the data was available for both. I didn’t include legumes which are technically seeds, but generally have low ratios, and so, are no problem. Here’s the list and I invite you to confirm my results:

Since an acceptable ratio is only 4, I would think it best to avoid noshing on all seeds with the exception of chia, flax, mustard and sisymbrium. I’ve no doubt that we can get plenty of tryptophan from these 4 safe seeds. I would definitely avoid poppy seeds, especially if you’re scheduled to take an illegal drugs test. If you did a similar list for nuts, I think you’d find that only walnuts have an acceptable ratio.
Keep those comments coming, Toxins; they’re great.

I eat lots of sunflower and pumpkin seeds, so what’s my excuse? I guess I’m just a cranky…brat ;^)

Squash seeds are awesome and I get a lot of mine “free” when Autumn gourds are abundant and inexpensive. I dry them myself and even season some for variety. Once dried they can last all year long. Don’t throw out those seeds when cleaning your squashes or Jack ‘O’ Lanterns!

I’m new to your AMAZING video clips! Thank you for taking the time to do this! I will be highlighting your videos regularly in my postings and musings. It’s a confusing mess out there on our information superhighways. The research is there. We just need the bottom line. Thank you for being our nutritional champion!

The seeds may be helpful but I’ve found that combining a quality vegan diet with a sufficient amount of exercise, rest, sun, water and fresh air really helps improve my mood. Actually, I think rest is a biggie, and few of us get enough of it, guilt free or worry free.

And these fine results were obtained how many mg of tryptophan (from squash seeds) per day? Do I misunderstand in thinking it was 10 mg?? I see from USDA sr24 (via CRON-o-meter) that to get 10mg tryptophan from ‘seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, dried’ would take 180 g of them, which is …….. 1006 Kcal.

Hi Elvin. According to http://www.ajcn.org/content/68/2/303.full.pdf
you need a minimum of 4.01mg of tryptophan per day for every kilogram of body mass and 5.02 mg to be on the safe side.. So, using the higher figure, if you weigh 120 pounds, you’d need about 275 mg per day, if you weigh 155 pounds, you’d need about 355 mg per day and if you weigh 180 pounds, you’d need about 410 mg per day. But my opinion is that you should also choose foods with a low omega 6 to omega 3 ratio- a problem with most seeds- or take flax seeds to make the overall ratio favorable, around no more than 4 to 1. Also, try not to get too much methionine in the protein foods you choose. Best of luck to all of us.

(1) What you have written is puzzling, because you have taken great
care to answer a non-question.The question is not ‘what is the daily RDA/DRI etc
for tryptophan?’. The question is: ‘what amount of daily tryptophan was used in
the info-video happiness-report; and how does that translate, for us
hoi-polloi, into a daily hit of pumpkin seeds or sesame?’ Of course this is
going to be (much) greater than the RDA.

(2) For people who follow Gregerian rather than (say) Novickian
suggestions, the question of omega 6/3 ratio is not, I would think, going to a
matter of concern since the Gregerians are taking ‘
250 to 500 mg daily of yeast or algae-­‐derived DHA and/or EPA’ — which
presumably trumps by a big margin the amount of DHA derived from the AA of
flaxseed. Gregerians will also be less interested in the question of increase in
fat-derived total calories resulting from addition of the
seeds. And substitution of the seeds for nuts, is after all, an option of course
… but wait — this is a meaninglessly abstract discussion without knowing what
amount of seeds we are taking about. If the kindly Dr Greger would choose to end
the suspense it would be a great mercy.

3) So far as I can see, it has no direct relation to seeds as such, but
what you say about methionine is however correct, and interested readers will
want to look here: http://www.medical-hypotheses.com/article/S0306-9877%2808%2900383-6/abstract .
Its restriction may have healthspan/lifespan optimising affects similar to those
delivered by CRON (or CRAN, if you want to to substitute the concept ‘adequate’
for ‘optimal’.)

I see, thanks very much. As for that url, it works fine when I click it. If it still does not work for you, do a search for the title of the article: ‘The low-methionine content of vegan diets may make methionine restriction feasible as a life extension strategy ‘.

CRON-o-meter is insufficiently fine tuned, but from www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/12354500/Data/SR24/reports/sr24fg12.pdf
it can be seen that 100 g of ‘Seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, dried ‘
contains 0.576 g of tryptophan. That’s 576 mg. Now, 43.4028% of 576 is
250.000128. And 43.4028% of 100 g is of course 43.4028 g. So, to get this 250 mg
of tryptophan will take that amount of the seeds (= about 1.5 oz), which in turn
is about 260 kcal (because 100g is 599 kcal). I hope I am wrong either in
reasoning or calculation and will be corrected; otherwise it looks not like an
experiment in happiness but an experiment in getting fat. At any rate, we who
practice CRAN and keep our BMI in the lower part of the ‘normal’ range do not
blithely throw 260 kcal into our mouths. That being said, the pursuit of science
does sometimes require personal sacrifice , yes.

I will leave it to someone else to do the calculations for sesame
seed.

I here announce that yesterday I began a 7-day experiment of inclusion of
daily 50 g of ground pumpkin seeds into my diet. This will, if nothing else,
greatly impact my normally only having about 10% of fat-derived total calories
daily. But science sometimes calls for self-sacrifice, does it not? Consider the
case of A. A. Bogdanov who fatally experimented with rejuvenation through blood
transfusion: ‘In 1924, Bogdanov started his blood transfusion
experiments […] after undergoing 11 blood transfusions, he remarked with
satisfaction on the improvement of his eyesight, suspension of balding, and
other positive symptoms […] Leonid Krasin wrote to his wife that “Bogdanov
seems to have become 7, no, 10 years younger after the [transfusion]”. In
1925-1926, Bogdanov founded the Institute for Haemotology and Blood
Transfusions, which was later named after him. But a later transfusion cost him
life, when he took the blood of a student suffering from malaria and
tuberculosis. (Bogdanov died, but the student injected with his blood made a
complete recovery.)’

If Bogdanov could give his life for such a cause, certainly we followers of
those notorious ‘no fat’ [sic] doctors can up our fat intake for a few days,
yes?

So Elvin, what do you think of the latest study on CRAN and monkeys?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444772804577619394017185860.html?mod=rss_Health&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wsj%2Fxml%2Frss%2F3_7089+%28WSJ.com%3A+Health%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo#articleTabs%3Darticle

So, even though, as Toxins points out, these three nuts have on average a much higher omega-6 to omega-3 ratio than the above-mentioned seeds, the nuts contribute less omega-6 to the diet than the seeds. In all above-listed cases the omega-3 contribution is essentially negligible, so total omega-6 contribution may matter more than the omega-6:omega-3 ratio.

So, even though, as Toxins points out, these three nuts have on average a much higher omega-6 to omega-3 ratio than the above-mentioned seeds, the nuts contribute less omega-6 to the diet than the seeds. In all above-listed cases the omega-3 contribution is essentially negligible, so total omega-6 contribution may matter more than the omega-6:omega-3 ratio.

Judging by the chart alone, it seems that those on the regular “diet” simply got more depressed (higher readings), while those on the largely vegetarian diet stayed the same. This could be interpreted as a plug for the control conditions (no dietary restrictions at all – just eat what you want?), rather than the vegetarian diet.

Animal protein is definitely a downer in my experience. However, to say that it’s due to relatively low levels of tryptophan is assuming a lot. It could be due to the fact that animal proteins are relatively high in the acidic amino acids which may also result in a mood downer as well as alternator.

Its amazing how different the dietary advice given is from Vegetarian doctors, to Low-carb Doctors, to Paleo or similar to Paleo doctor. One wonders! I will try full on vegetarian lower fat for 2 weeks right now, see im my ongoing depression gets better, if so I will extend the trial for a month, see how I feel. I really hope I dont get a bunch of cavities from the added carbohydrate and sugar from fruit though! I wont brush right after eating, and follow a tooth care protocol to help me anyway.

A few hot tips from a somewhat seasoned veteran and long time acupuncturist (me): Do not base your diet on fruit. Don’t eat more than 4-5 pieces/day max and emphasize the lower glycemic ones like berries and kiwi. And no added sweeteners! Beans will likely help stabilize your blood sugar better than intact whole grains; regardless which you choose avoid flour products, even 100% whole grain ones as they turn to blood sugar too fast. Blood sugar spikes and crashes can really aggravate depression! Main food by volume should be nonstarchy vegetables. Clean your mouth after every meal and don’t snack. Only eat if you are hungry, and don’t eat if you are not truly hungry. That means, don’t eat out of boredom, depression, anxiety, etc. not even just because it tastes good. Better if you tried this for 5 or 6 weeks as depending on what you have been eating you may have some detox/adjustments to go through. Best to you on this experiment!

I am bummed so far, because I have gone 90% vegan and have upped my seed intake and fruits and veggies, but my social anxiety has increased significantly.

It might be the milk in my morning cappuccino?

I don’t understand it, but I am definitely worse than I ever was and I am wondering what I am doing wrong, because when I started with the more fruits and veggies, I got better, but now it is so much worse.

I am wondering if I am low in Magnesium or B3 or something, but I was really hoping just adding the seeds would improve it more than just upping the nutrition did.

Might want to check: sups: B12, Vitamin D in the dose recomended by Dr Greger. Following the daily dozen daily, not just “being vegan eating randomly”. Also a TMJ or TMD might worsen any condition. Are you eating enough?

Thank you for your question and sorry to hear about the worsening of your symptoms. As you probably know, most of the serotonin in the body is produced in the gut and this is the hormone that has a big impact on our mental health and wellbeing. This hormone is produced by our gut bacteria and therefore we should be aiming to keep our gut bacteria as ‘healthy’ as possible. The main way is to make sure you are getting enough fibre from fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. At least 40 grams a day. There are also a number of foods that are pre-biotics, they provide ‘food’ for our gut bacteria. This video may help you https://nutritionfacts.org/video/prebiotics-tending-our-inner-garden/

I believe based on the data that over time your anxiety has the best chance of improving on a whole foods plant based diet. It may be that the initial chance has led to an increase in serotonin levels that your body is not used to and hence you are feeling some adverse effects. I strongly believe that your body will adjust to your new diet and the more plant based you can be the better for many reasons.